Through the Wringer
by Flat to Layered
Summary: I've got this humongous project that needs to be done otherwise I'm gonna fail the class and potentially wreck my GPA in the process. The problem? Working with Natsuki is just as bad as just taking the loss. I hate it when you have to get along with somebody you really want to throw a brick at.


"Hey Sayori what's up-"

"Hi dude," Monika greeted me at the door instead of Sayori, "No one's seen Natsuki in a couple of days, not even her dad, and we all know she doesn't exactly have a whole lot of people she hangs around with so-"

Hmph. That was an interesting piece of information. I'd think Natsuki would let her dad know she was staying here to begin with. Had she really not talked to him?

I toned out what Monika had to say for a moment. Using my phone as a reflective surface, I angled it so I could just about see where Natsuki had ran off to hide. She sat crouched beneath a table, shaking like a leaf. She made a fast shooing motion with her hands. I nod my head in a way that made me look like I was checking myself out.

I heard the silent message loud and clear: Get rid of Monika.

"Monika. What? How did you find out where I live," I asked, truly curious. Sayori, and now Natsuki I guess, were the only ones who knew. I find Monika popping up on my doorstep to be weird and a little unnerving.

"I was leaving school rather late and happened to bump into some old friends of yours. They got a little too snoopy into what was on my plate. Eventually Natsuki came up, then you, and I got the chance to ask where you lived."

"That sounds all well and good, at least it would if I told any of them where I lived. I haven't exactly lived here my whole life either. I'd like the truth Monika, and I'd like it now."

"Ok. ok. I actually asked Sayori. She really didn't want to tell me because she knows how territorial you are over your house. I kind of tricked her into spilling, and she was so upset that I agreed not to tell you that I got it from her. Heh heh. Looks like I owe her an apology now don't I," she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

Sayori wouldn't give away my info like that. Would she? She is a little bit of an airhead, but I feel like she'd tell me if she did something so dastardly. Then again, as long as a person's life wasn't on the table, I'd be hard pressed to trust Sayori with a box of crayons. If only there was some way to know for sure. I guess I'll press for more information and see if I can get Monika to slip up or at the very least get her to leave.

"Yeah, I moved to this house recently," I lied, "because the rent here is cheaper. I hadn't gotten around to telling Sayori since I wasn't sure about making the move until today. I'm in the process of moving my stuff here."

I raised the pink phone I had in my hand closer to my ear and started dialing, "Yo, police. Yeah I got a girl from school I'm one hundred percent sure is stalking me. Her name? Monika. Uhm, not sure about her last name, but I do know she goes to Sapian High. My address? Yes of course-,"

The phone flew out of my hand with the quickness, gone before I could even fully register Monika taking it.

"Officer. Officer I promise I am not a stalker but a friend from school. There's no stalking here. I'm so sorry that my friend likes being an inconvenience-" She spoke to nothing but thin air. Realizing that no one was on the other end of the phone, she stared stupefied at the screen. I seized my chance to snatch back the phone just as quickly as she had done to me. I showed her that I did have the number on dial.

Monika looked rather pitiful in her defeat, "I went to the school records."

"That...kind of has the same problem with the loose friends and Sayori thing. They especially can't have my address since I just moved." That last part wasn't true, but I had to keep up the alibi. At the very least, I was sure I never gave the school my address after leaving my mom's place so that meant that list bit Monika told me must've been a lie as well. While I might have believed any of Monika's lies on their own, the fact that she used all three back to back told me what I needed to know. She had to have found my address by doing something unorthodox, a.k.a. something shady. She would've come clean first or second take otherwise.

"The truth Monika. The truth now," I brought my thumb closer to the "call" button.

Exasperated, she threw her arms up into the air, "ALRIGHT! I just want to know if my club members are ok, and I know what you're thinking, I must be doing this only because of the club. I must be doing this because clubs need a minimum of four people to keep going, but I'm doing this because I like to think of everyone here as a close friend of mine. Close friends are there to support each other through good times and tough times. I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad to see you're fine, and if anything comes up where you need to take five, take as long as you need."

Awww. Well wasn't that nice, nice enough to hit me straight in the chest as my grip over the phone slackened.

Her gaze trailed down to my crotch, then my legs, "You aren't wearing pants. Can you please get those," she asked seemingly not knowing where she was supposed to be looking at.

"You came to me, therefore you came to a party you know full well is invite only. If I want to parade around in pink anime boxers, I can because I'm the host. To tell me what to do, you need to become a hostess, and to be a hostess you need to either pay the bills, put food on the table, or share the same bed as me."

Monika looked appalled. Taking a step back, she placed her hands over her heart.

"Why would I want to be the hostess of someone who just threatened to call the cops on me-"

I raised the phone up and pressed the call button. Candy came flowing out of the bottom in bursts, "this is a candy phone I had since I was a kid."

Cue long pregnant silence.

"This is between you and me. Whatever happened at this porch stays at this porch," Monika whispered.

I got a good laugh at Monika's expense. Her flushed face and fidgeting body were like an early Christmas present.

"To answer your question about Natsuki though, I saw her at some park downtown earlier today. She said she was going through some things she needed to go through alone, that she's better now, and that she'll be at school tomorrow. She also told me to get out of her lane and stay in my own. I shouldn't merge into the fast lanes unless I want to get hit. I tried to tell her I had insurance and that if she hit me from behind, she was technically the one in trouble. She'd be better off letting me in so her insurance wouldn't go up because she can't afford it."

Monika giggled, "yeah that's definitely an argument you two would have."

"As for me, school can kiss my ass, so I just skipped a couple days. You'll see me tomorrow as well," My experiences with my rather strict mother always taught me that the best lies were always the ones that stemmed from the truth. While I don't like Monika not being able to tell me how she'd found me, her concern for the two of us was enough to look past it. I actually felt a decent bit guilty that I wasn't completely truthful about Natsuki, especially with Natsuki being so close, but definitely not guilty enough to speak up.

"And hey, anytime you see me not at school, just assume I didn't feel like going. Natsuki's a pretty tough girl, so there's no need to worry about either of us."

Monika smiled, "well, sorry for not calling, but I don't have your number. Next time I'll be sure to write my name on an invitation with your name above it and maybe bring some food while I'm at it. I will say this however-"

Monika looked stern as she placed her hands on her hips. It was rather strange actually. She gave me the feeling like she was my overbearing mother, turned eighteen, finding out I brought a 'C' home for the first time.

"While I may be just your club president, I won't have you skipping school just because you can't be bothered. Bad habits lead to bad thoughts which leads to bad character."

"Old enough to fight and die for this country, see R-rated films, play M-rated video games, smoke, vape, have sex, do tobacco products, drop out of school, get a job, masturbate, use toys, vote, buy land, own a gun, go to legit jail, be tried as an adult, pay bills, make a will, and donate an organ? Old enough to take a sick day," I said all this with a smile on my face as I closed the door.

I turned my back to the door before doing a 180 and reopening it, "you can take this for your troubles." I had scooped up all the candy from the ground, placed it in the phone, slid the phone into Monika's pocket, and promptly closed the door.

"There wasn't an older man at the door was there?"

"Nope. Just Monika looking pretty banging with her hair down and without her oversized bow in her hair."

"Ok...," Her stiff frame slouched over as she let out the air she had been holding.

"I only wish I could've found out how she knew where I live."

"She probably followed you home or something like that, maybe by accident, maybe on purpose. Off putting as hell yeah, but her heart's in the right place," I opened my mouth to question Natsuki about potentially not calling her dad as well as anything else that she may not be telling me.

"Wait. You said Monika didn't have her bow. Monika went out naked?!"

"Just because she didn't have her bow in her hair? What's the big deal?"

"That's like me with braids, Sayori with a ponytail, or God forbid short haired Yuri running around in anything but long sleeves and being athletic. It just doesn't happen. You just witnessed something even more unlikely than you seeing a naked girl in real life or even getting a date to prom. God if that can happen, I don't know what the hell can't anymore!"

I would've bit back at her savagery like the dog I was, but then I stopped to think about Yuri with short hair, walking around in a sports bra and booty shorts. Yeah, if I can see that in person, I think all of my life's suffering would be worth it. I'd be able to finally rest in peace.

"It's just shocking is all. I think you'd be more likely to see Sayori and Yuri suddenly fuse together in some sort of weird virtual reality mod than seeing Monika without her bow. No one at school's ever seen her without it, and to think I was stuck hiding underneath a table for this once in a lifetime opportunity-"

Whatever else Natsuki had to say quickly became irrelevant. Mind racing, all I can think about at this moment are the combined looks of Sayori and Yuri. A new level of beauty and cuteness is born with Sayori taking on a more mature appearance and her short hairstyle and eyes gaining Yuri's lovely purple color.

"BOY," Natsuki shook me out of my stupor with surprising force for someone of her size.

"Sorry for spacing out Sayuri!"

"BOY," she shrieked again. She took a step back. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she massaged her temples. A closer look gave him a really good view of all the little lines piled up on her forehead.

"Happy thoughts, happy thoughts," I could only guess she must be muttering to herself, "Monika's gone. No one knows that I'm at your house. We can get to work."

Correction. Everyone except Sayori didn't know. Now that the two of us are catching back up everyday, there are very few things going on in our lives that don't pop up in a conversation, but due to Natsuki looking like she wasn't in the mood, that might just be a fact that she'd never learn.

"Do you even know how to color, or how to art in general?"

She had her head turned up at my question which bothered the hell out of me because I could never tell if she was buying time to come up with something witty to say or just ignoring me for the sake of getting under my skin.

She sighed, "I was always down and out during art class. It'd always be the time I'm lowest on my energy," she sat down next to me and picked up a color pencil of her own, but never hit the poster board with a single line.

He took note of how she almost seemed to be frozen in place, "you look shook. What's up?"

"Hmph. I'm taking notes from how you're marking. It's strange really."

I stopped making marks and switched for a slightly darker brown then added a little red with another pencil so I can get a reddish brown over my first layer. As a result, I got a not so flat color for the hair, but I could still see the tooth of the paper through the color. Good and bad I guess: good because I'll be able to add more color, bad because I knew this was only the beginning of a patchy relationship, both for me and this artwork.

"Strange how," I ask after remembering I am not alone.

"You. Someone who's cynical, bland, impolite, and always full of something smart to say-"

"Good lord. I have something smart to say, not like I'm going to school to get an education so I can get a job in the computer science field."

I use my left hand to pretend I'm holding a phone next to my ear, "Hello? University? Do dumbasses do well in college? No? Well shoot

I smirked as Natsuki moved to hit me. I used my hand to point to the pencil that was in my right hand, still hard at work filling in the tooth of the paper. She grit her teeth in frustration, fist clenched around her pink pencil with white hot fury.

"Break my prismacolor and that two dollars is coming out of your wallet. Then again we don't have an arts and crafts store in town so we'd have to order a new set of at least 12 online, with expedited shipping so we can get them in on time."

Natsuki paled and slackened her grip, her expression changing to one of bitter acceptance. I had the smuggest grin on my face right now; despite how much of a pain it was being around her this much, I could at least have my fun. What I chose not to her is if she broke any of his precious pencils, I'd pay for the damages without any fuss, even if she did it on purpose. I guess she didn't think about the fact that they'll still be usable even if ripped in half.

"-can actually put so much care into something that doesn't involve video games and anime or whatever else the hell you like. Something productive non the less."

Ah, a compliment, backhanded yeah, but it felt so long since she'd even given me that much. Ever since Ms. Clairavana assigned this extra credit work, Natsuki's been a lot more b-...well let's not go there, especially since I can play her game just as well as she.

"Heh. How else did you think those Bowsette, Naruto, and My Hero Academia posters got in my room?"

"That was you! I thought you brought those from Walmart-," she paused mid shout as if realizing she did some unthinkable deed of giving me another compliment, "explains why they look so unfinished."

"Hey you shut your God forsaken mouth up about my art," I stop what I'm doing to yell back in legitimate anger and spite. I had to stop penciling due to how bad my nerves got, what with all the shaking. All of the hot air rushes out of me like it does in a deflated hot air balloon, and I actually question myself. Was there more I could've done to those pieces? Were the colors too grainy? Can anyone tell how hard I had to press to burnish all the layers of color? Do they need to be thrown away so I can start over only to regret my decision later if I couldn't recapture their likeness?

"Nice to know your skin isn't as thick as you thought," our roles reversed and now I was the one pissed off as Natsuki looked smug as a jester.

"Now if you'd let me finish, I was talking about all that extra stuff you're doing as well: knowing what colors to layer and what order-"

"Lighter first, darker last, but not after laying down the color's complement as an under color layer to get a richer hue that makes the drawing pop with realism and a hint of exaggeration."

"Then when you layer the color pencil by pencil, you have such patience and you cover the tooth of the paper so evenly, but why are you pressing down so lightly, you're treating the paper like it's somebody's baby."

"Using color pencil as an art medium is a slow process. The colors gotta be layered evenly otherwise any sense of realism will be lost. In this case I'm using strokes instead of circles because I'm coloring hair. Then if you rush the layering process by pressing down too heavily too soon, the wax from the pencil will be too much for the paper to accept anymore color. If that happens, your work is ruined and will look just as flat as a child's drawing rather than a piece from a competent artist."

I was happy that she was taking an interest, but the fact that she was probably doing that just to avoid failing the class soured the pleasure somewhat.

"Hey what do you think about art and why do you like it so much?"

"Art," I slow my work down and really ponder, reaching deep down in my psyche to really get a feel for an answer. I gently stroke the young hairs of the goatee forming on my chin.

"Art is like people. I think it's better to say like relationships. Each piece needs specific mediums to be made, with specific techniques in mind in order to use those mediums. Like relationships, it's a work in progress that is never perfect nor is it truly ever finished. Rushing that progress creates a weak foundation that ruins both at their core and makes them impossible to be good. That's why you need time, patience, and a willingness to work with what you are given to create something beautiful. Artists create many pieces, and from each piece a new lesson is learned on how to have better pieces after. Whether that lesson be large or small, whether or not the artist feels like they've learned nothing doesn't matter because the practice will always make them better at their craft. I think of relationships the same way. We allow so many to come into our lives. Those same relationships, casual and meaningful prepare us for the next set of relationships. Like art pieces so many of our relationships are discarded when something out of our control takes them away. Maybe we discard them because we no longer like them or we don't have room for them. Maybe we give them away to other people to spread happiness and contempt to someone that would benefit much more from them. I think a big reason I like art more than people is the fact that you have all the tools in your hand, ready to be used as you please. You have more control over your own artwork that you just can't get with relationships."

When I'm finished, I look at Natsuki to see her eyes all wide and her mouth agape like a spirit had touched her.

"Sorry. I got into a monologue and dodged half of the question. Art just happens to be a talent for me. It's soothing."

"Holy shit!"

"Delayed reaction much," I ask her, "hey, I should turn that speech into a poem for the Literature Club. I bet Monika and Yuri will love it. Sayori kind of doesn't matter because she loves anything with my name on it most of the time."

I smile, mentally thanking Natsuki in my head because I initially had nothing to write about tonight. I would've felt bad showing up empty handed tomorrow evening especially with my absence as of late.

"I don't understand. You-you-you, actually with personality and a deeper outlook on life than just a cynical perverted video game playing, anime loving weeaboo?"

"No need to be a punk about it Natsuki-"

"Why are you calling me that? Let me guess. It's because I act like a boy or that my chest looks like one."

"No, I call you that because you're a punk.


End file.
